Maryann Jacobson is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has extensive experience with developmental stages, researching health topics, and writing. She’s also a forward-thinker who realizes that when it comes to aging, midlife doesn’t get nearly the attention it needs – and for the past five years, she’s been working to change that.

In this solo episode, Hotflash inc podcast host and founder Ann Marie McQueen writes down all the questions she has about hormone therapy (and what we hear about hormone therapy). 

This is a long time coming: she's been research perimenopause, menopause and women's midlife health for 5+ years now. 

Settle in. And if you have any questions of your own, use that handy text message feature and send them our way. 

Dr Amy Divaraniya is the CEO and Founder of Oova, a leading women’s health platform known for its physician-backed fertility and perimenopause at-home hormone monitoring. Oova empowers people to take control of their hormone health from their first period and to their last and beyond. Prior to founding Oova, Dr. Divaraniya spent 10 years as a data scientist, leading and publishing research in personal genomics and biomarker discovery. 

If there is anything I like people going through peri menopause to know,  if there's anything I'd like you to know, it's that no matter what route you take, no matter how you feel physically, the very best thing you can do emotionally and spiritually is to begin the painful, healing, scary, but fruitful reckoning with your past so you can properly face your future. The transformative minefield for that, for me.  And I want you to be able to experience this too.  Let me get you started with my I forgive you letter to myself.

In this episode, Rebekah Brown, founder of the midlife community and supplement brand Liminal (formerly MPowder), shares her transformative journey through perimenopause. She reflects on the physical and emotional changes, and the importance of addressing stress, sleep, and wellness during this transition. The discussion covers her rebranding experience, hormone therapy, and the societal narratives around menopause. Rebekah also highlights the role of naturopathic practices like herbal remedies, acupuncture, and yoga, and emphasizes the power of community, collective wisdom, and a balanced approach to hormonal health.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Jen and I recorded this interview last year. Almost a year ago. It was and is so important to me that I am sharing it with you now, with Jen’s blessing. (It fell into the “I took a short break to build my business and then my dad died suddenly” gap. You know the one ;)

Joe Sealey is a former UK footballer who is married to UK businesswoman Nicole, and they are both cast members of The Real Housewives of Cheshire. He's also comforting and cracking men and women alike up with his ongoing commentary on living with a woman in menopause.  Joe jokes a lot, but he also gets serious about  the challenges and changes experienced during Nicole's perimenopause and menopause, the importance of communication between partners, and how the couple navigates their journey together. Joe also offers some solid menopause tips for men and women alike. 

Hotflash inc founder and host Ann Marie McQueen talks about the first-ever perimenopause month, Hot Flash Day (courtesy of Stripes) and the annual meeting of The Menopause Society of North America. 

Hotflash inc founder Ann Marie McQueen is speaking with a board-certified gynecologist whose surgical career was focused on fibroids and endometriosis before she discovered her love for functional medicine and holistic therapy and discovered what it could do for women struggling with menopause, hormones and wellness. Dr Masghati, who offers virtual consults worldwide in four languages, talks about treating patients from Lebanon to the Philippines, about the balance of estrogen and progesterone, the role of testosterone, the relevance of detoxification, ADHD in midlife, why some people want compounded hormones and why no matter what, we all need individualized treatments. The conversation also delves into the misconceptions about hormone therapies, such as pellets, and how to support women as they undergo psychological and physical changes. 

In part 2 of her interview with Buff Bones' Rebekah Rotstein tells Hotflash inc founder Ann Marie McQueen about the complexities of health during perimenopause and menopause, highlighting the importance of both mineral density, muscles, tendons, collagen and fascia. 

In this episode, host Ann Marie McQueen tries to explain her long and convoluted relationship to and quest for hormone therapy. This is an episode about her experiences, made more complicated by living abroad,  reluctant doctors and by years spent wandering in a wilderness of emotional and physical symptoms no one could explain. Until everything blew up. And let's not forget the gut issues. In it you will see that even with all her resources, and a global platform all about menopause and midlife, Ann Marie is still trying to find the right recipe for her. The search continues. 

In this episode, host and Hotflash inc founder Ann Marie McQueen interviews Rebecca Rotstein. Rebekah is the founder of Buff Bones, a medically endorsed exercise method for bone and joint health with on-demand classes and trained instructors in more than 30 countries. Rebekah is a former ballet dancer who has trained athletes and deeply studied the body, including cadaver dissections, along with coursework and fascia research, somatic studies, and visceral manipulation. 

Hotflash inc founder and host Ann Marie McQueen sits down with Dr Leigh Erin Connealy, a leading figure in integrative medicine, known for her unique approach in combining conventional and alternative treatments in addressing chronic illnesses and cancer. Dr Connealy is the founder of the Center for New Medicine and the Cancer Center for Healing in Irvine, California and author of two books: The Cancer Revolution and the Be Perfectly Healthy.

Dr Bibi Ayesha Lockhat is a Traditional Arabic and Islamic Medicine (TAIM) Specialist practicing in the Middle East at Zulal Wellness Resort at China Som – Qatar, the only place in the in the world to be reviving this traditional holistic healing system.

The discussion covers the practical and cyclical nature of menopause, the significance of menstrual cycle awareness, and the power of self-care and setting boundaries. They also address the often-overlooked grief and the mental health challenges associated with menopause, emphasizing the need for community, support, and a broader societal understanding of this pivotal life stage. The episode concludes with a look at the potential of menopause as a time of personal and spiritual awakening, offering practical tips and discussing their upcoming course to help women navigate this profound transition.

In this episode, host and midlife and menopause journalist Ann Marie McQueen speaks with iconic American model Kim Alexis. 

In this deeply emotional and personal video, host Ann Marie McQueen shares her experience of navigating midlife grief and loss, specifically focusing on the recent death of her father.